Block-letter holder



May 8, 1928. 1,668,918 H. J. LOTZ BLOCK LETTER HOLDER Filed Aug. 5, 192'? Figl. 4

' A TAT l 3 a 4 k 2/ V;

gwuento'c HenU J Lo+z green concrete,

Patented May 8, 1928.

UNITED 1,668,918 PAT-Eur orrics.

ENRY J. LQTZ, QF'MGKENNA, WASHINGTON;

saloon-LETTER HOLDER.

Application filed August'3,,19 27.. Serial No. 210,246.

quickly and easily removed" therefrom;

third, whereby such blocks are clamped therein to form therewith a single structure which may be handled as a unit tor any desired purpose, Another objectis toprovide such a device as will be practiieallyin'destructible in ordinary use; which is of light weight; and which is cheap, to make, simple to operate, andwhich effectively holds the blocks in place. U 'I' attain these and, other objects by the devices, mechanisms, and arrangements illustrated in p the accompanying drawings, in which- I Fig. l is a plan view showing my device ready for use as holder for block, type adapted for use in "im in ing letters in onartificial stone; Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the letter blocks; Fig. {i is an end View, partly in section, of the main holder; 5 is an end view of the clamping bar; and Fig. 6 is an end elevation o't'the complete device, ready for use.

Similar numerals Oil similar parts throughout the several views. My invention is capable of being used in a large variety of arts, be used for impressing names, 'or other words, in concrete, while in a green or soft condition, as, for instance, the names of persons or ol' streets, or the numbers of houses, in sidewalks; or for impressing words in brick, tile, or other clay products, while in a plastic condition; or the names of a person, and other data, in the lid of-a concrete burial box or sarcophagus; or for printing block letters for signs and posters; or it may besecured to a post and the letters therein indicate the street, road, or other public direction or notice. It may be adapted either for hand use, as shown, or it may be attached to suitable machinery whereby it is moved and actuated. Referring, now, to the drawings, in which I have illustrated a form of my invention adapted for hand use and for impressing reference refer to for instance, it may the block letters mounted thereon in green concrete, or other plastic or semiplastic material, it will be seen that the main; holder is: preferably made of bent sheet metal and comprises along bodyolgeueral rectan gu lar section (Fig. l) havingabase 1, two sides 2, which are bent inward along their upper edge to form the two guide rails, 3. The two said guide rails3 lie in the same plane and are s i ly shown in the. drawings.

f The clamping bar 5) comprises, a similarly shaped bent sheet metal strip,

eparated by a space, as clean adaptdto be placed'within the main holder andtormed with a base l, Jot slightly less width than'the base 1;;two-sides 5, of con siderably less, depth than the sides 2,; and two guide rails G, which are separated bya space substantiallyeqpal; to the space heils. 3, of thewniain holder.

tween; the guide rp v y The clampingbl xthus tormeda is adapted a l I v i to he 1 n-n themain; bar or holder w th itsgu ljerail fil l'llllilfitljllliely below the guide rail; 3 therel. 9 The mainholder and the "c'lainpingbar cooperate to clamp the block letters, and for this purpose may be adjustably secured together in any suitable manner, it being understood that it is desired to forcibly separate the guide rails 6 ot' the clamping bar from the corresponding guide rails 3 of the main holder. In the drawings, I'have shown a plurality of screws 7, rotatably secured in the base l of the clamping bar, means of heads 8. These screws 7' may be provided with wing heads 9 whereby they may be turned. The screws? are threaded through nuts 10, secured in the base 1 ofthe main holder, In assen'iblingthis device, the clamping bar is inserted within the main holder and then the screws are inserted through thenutslO, and through the base 4; of the clamping bar, otherwise secured thereto .insuch manner as to be free to rotate therein. Thus by turning the screws 7 in a countier-clockwise the screws may be and are riveted or I and may pass freely through holes in the base 1 of the main holder and may be provided' with nuts, winged or otherwise, screwing thereon and pressing against the under surface of the base 1, thereby drawing the screws downward and separating the guide rails 3 and 6, as desired.

The letter blocks 11 are formed with grooves 12 in their alined sides, said grooves being deep enough to receive the guide rails 3 and 6, the width of said blocks being less than the width of the base at of the clamping bar (Fig. 6). Letters 13, figures, or other signs, may be formed on or secured to the top side of the block 11 and may be in relief or in intaglio.

The ends 1 1 of the main holder may preferably extend out beyond the main body thereof to form a handling means or a means to which the operating mechanism may be attached when the device is used in a machine.

My device is used in the following manner:-

The screws 7 are all turned to push the guide rail 6 close to the guide rail 8,then the several blocks are slid into proper place therein, in order, the said guide rails 3 and 6 entering the said grooves 12 therein. Then each of the said screws 7 are turned to draw the clamp bar base 4 towards the base 1 of the holder thus forcing the guide rails 6 to pull down on the lower surface of the groove 12 and clamping each of the said blocks 11 in its place.

Having, therefore, described my invention, what I claim is 1. A device of the class described, comprising a U-shaped holder having inwardextending guide rails on its opposite sides; a U-shaped clamping bar, lying in said holder and having similar inward-extending guide rails on its opposite sides; a block having grooves in its opposite sides and adapted to lie in said clamping bar and to engage both guide rails of the holder and of the clamping bar; and means forcing the clamping bar down in the holder to separate its guide rails from those of the holder and to clamp the block by said guide rails engaging the upper and lower sides of said grooves respectively.

2. A device of the class described, comprising a U-shaped holder having inwardextending guide rails on its opposite sides; a U-shaped clamping bar, lying in said holder and having similar i'nwaid-extending guide rails on its opposite sides; a block having grooves in its opposite sides and adapted to lie in said clamping bar and to engage both guide rails of the holder and of the clamping bar; and screw means, engaging the holder and the clamping bar and adapted to force the clamping bar down in the holder to separate its guide rails from those of the holder, and to clamp the block by said guide rails engaging the upper and lower sides of said grooves, respectively.

HENRY J. LOTZ. 

